Rivers, lakes and seas play a crucial role in the lives of bears all around the world. Brown bears in Alaska scoop salmon from fast-flowing streams, while polar bears in the Arctic swim between ice floes in search of seals.

Moon bears cool down in forest pools during hot summers. Even the giant panda, though largely herbivorous, drinks daily from mountain streams.

Waterways act as feeding grounds, migration routes and playgrounds, shaping bear behaviour and survival. Here, we reveal a series of remarkable images of bears doing their thing in these watery realms.

In pictures: water bears
Alaska brown bearAn Alaska brown bear wades through the tranquil waters of a lake at sunrise. Credit: Getty
Polar bear, Hudson Bay, Nunavut, CanadaA polar bear paws its way through Hudson Bay in Nunavut Territory, Canada. Credit: Getty

Brown bear cubs, Katmai National Park, AlaskaTwo brown bear cubs follow their mother on a salmon-hunting trip in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Credit: Getty
Brown bear in PolandA brown bear pauses midway through a river crossing in the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland. Credit: Getty
Polar bear and cubA polar bear and young cub cling to an iceberg at Repulse Bay in Canada’s Nunavut Territory. Credit: Getty
Brown bear and salmon, Katmai National Park, AlaskaA coastal brown bear fishes for spawning red salmon in the shallow pools of a river in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Credit: Getty
Eurasian brown bears in FinlandA family of Eurasian brown bears emerge from a lake in Finland. Credit: Getty
Kamchatka brown bearA brown bear fishing in the Ozernaya River, Kamchatka, Russia. Credit: Getty
Brown bear swimming in a lake. North East Finland. A brown bear takes a dip in a lake in north-east Finland. Credit: Getty

Brown bear, Katmai National Park, AlaskaA grizzly bear fishes for spawning chum salmon in a stream near Kuliak Bay in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Credit: Getty

Polar bear, Hudson Bay, Nunavut, Canada A polar bear swimming near Sentry Island in Hudson Bay, Nunavut Territory, Canada . Credit: Getty
Brown bears in AlaskaA mother brown bear teaches her cub to fish at Crescent Lake in Lake Craig National Park, USA. Credit: Getty
Black bear swimmingA black bear swims between islands in the Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park on the Canadian coast. Credit: Getty

Grizzly bearsGrizzly bears fishing for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Credit: Getty

Top image: brown bear hunting salmon in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Credit: Getty

More amazing images of wild animals from around the world